Rail-joint.



C. G. STEINHAUER.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION HLED'JUNE 3. me.

1 ,1 97,678, Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

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c. s. STEINHAUER.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3, 1916.

1 197,678 Patented Sebt. 12, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented se t. 12, 1916.

Application filed June'3, 1916. Serial No. 101,554.

' To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CONRAD G. STEIN- HAUER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lincoln, in the county of Logan and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in means for connecting the meeting ends of two railway rails, and the primary object of the invention is to so form the meeting ends of two rails as to provide overlapping co-engaging portions and means for connecting the said portions whereby the rails may be joined in an expeditious manner and retained against movement in a vertical or lateral direction and permitted only alimited longitudinally movement incidental to the expansion and contraction of the rails.

TVith the above and other objects in view the improvement resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of two rails connected in accordance with the present invention, Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view approximately on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a similar sectional view approximately on the line 3-3 of F 2', Fig. 4 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view on the line H of Fig. 3, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the rail ends, and Fig. 6 is a similar view of the co-acting rail end.

As shown in the drawings, the rails 1 and 2 are of the ordinary construction but each of said rails at its ends is formed with a thickened or enlarged web 3. The head of the rail 1 is extended a suitable distance beyond the thickened web 3, as indicated by the numeral 4, and the end of said head is beveled, as at 5. The head, inward of its beveled end, is provided with a vertically disposed opening 6 and two diametrically opposite walls provided by the said opening are reamed or beveled from the outer face of the head as indicated vbythe numeral 7. The thickened web 3 of the rail 1 has its end inclined or beveled from the juncture with the head inwardly to the base of said web, as indicated by the numeral 8 and the base of said web is widened or formed with longitudinally extending side flanges 9 9. The base of the web 3 of the rail 1 extends a suitable distance beyond the end of the base flange of the said rail 1 and the end of said base flangeis beveled in an opposite direction from that of the beveled end of the web, as indicated by the numeral 10. The thickened web 3 outwardly of the end 10 of the base flange of the rail 1 is provided with a transverse opening 11 and the wall between the base or bottom of the said thickened web and the lower wall provided by the opening has arranged therein a centrally disposed orifice 12.

The thickened web 3 of the rail 2 extends beyond the head of said rail and the end of the said head is beveled or cut angularly in an inward direction, as indicated by the numeral 14, to receive the beveled end 8 of the head 4 of the rail 1 and the extending head 1 is adapted to rest upon the horizontally straight shelf provided by the upper surface of the extending web 3 of the rail 2. The end of the thickened web 3 of the rail 2' is beveled, as at 14, to receive the beveled end 8 of the web 3 of the rail 1, when the rails are assembled. The base flange of the rail 2 is extended beyond the end of its web and the end of said base flange is beveled inwardly, as at 15, and this end of the base of the rail 2 is adapted to engage with the beveled end of the base of the rail 1, the base of the projecting web of the base 1 resting upon the projecting base flange of the rail 2, as clearly shown in the drawings. The web 3 of the base 2 has its lower longitudinal edges widened or formed with flanges 16-16 which are of course also formed integral with the base of the rail 2 and the widened web of the said rail 2 is provided with a transverse opening 17 while the said web is provided with a vertically disposed orifice 18 arranged approximately centrally of its opening and this orifice is adapted to aline with the opening 6 in the extending head 4: of the rail 1. Likewise the extending base flange of the rail 2 is provided with an oriflee 19 which is adapted to aline with the orifice 12 in the extending web 3 of the rail 1 and the underface of the base of said rail 2 is reamed or otherwise provided with a depression or socket 20 which surrounds the orifice 19. The socket is of a size to snugly receive the head 21 of a bolt member 22 which bolt also projects through the orifice 12 and extends within the opening 11 of the web of the rail 1 and is adapted to receive a securing nut 23. A bolt having an oppositely beveled head 24 is passed through the alining orifices 18 in the web of the rail 2 and 6 in the extending head of the rail 1, the beveled head of the bolt being received in the reamed or beveled portion 7 of the head of said rail 1, the stem of the bolt projecting into the opening 17 of the web of the rail 2 and receiving a securing nut 25.

The edges of the base flange of both of the rails, at the meeting ends of the said rails, are preferably notched, to receive spikes 26 which enter the supporting ties 27, and from practice it has been found that the employment of additional securing elements for connecting the ends of the rails are not necessary.

From the above description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the simplicity of the device as well as the advantages thereof will, it is thought, be perfectly apparent to those skilled in the art to which such invention appertains without further detailed description.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. Two rails having their webs at their ends thickened, the head of one of the rails projecting beyond the web thereof, the web of said rail extending beyond the base flange thereof, the web of the second rail projecting beyond the head thereof, the base flange of said second rail projecting beyond the web thereof whereby the upper surfaces of the web and base flange of the said second rail will provide supports for the projecting head and projecting web of the first mentioned rail and whereby the ends of said rails will contact, means passing through the projecting head of the first mentioned rail and entering the extending web of the second mentioned rail and means passing through the extending base of the second. mentioned rail and through the extending web of the first mentioned rail for connecting the rail ends.

2. In a rail oint, two rails having thickened webs at their ends and each of said webs having a transverse opening, the head of one of the rails projecting beyond its web and its web extending beyond its base flange, the web of the other rail extending beyond its head and its base flange extending be yond its web whereby the said web and base flange will receive the extending head and web of the first mentioned rail, bolt members for connecting the rails, one of said bolt members having 'its shank passing through the projecting head of the first mentioned rail and through the extending web of the second mentioned rail to enter the opening in the said web of the said second mentioned rail, the other bolt passing through the extending base of the first mentioned rail, the extending web of the first mentioned rail which overlies the said base and entering the opening in the said web of the first mentioned rail, and nuts for each of the bolts.

3. The combination with two rails each having a thickened web at its end and the lower portion of the web formed upon its sides with longitudinally extending flanges, the head of one of the rails extending beyond the flange thereof and the end of the web being beveled, the end of the flange of said rail being also beveled at an opposite inclination from that of the end of the head, the said web extending beyond the web of said rail and the end of the said web being beveled-at an opposite inclination from the beveled end of the said base, the other rail having its head beveled in an opposite direction from the beveled head of the first mentioned rail, its web projecting beyond its head to provide a seat for the extending head of the first mentioned rail, the end of the said web beveled to co-aot with the end of the web of the first mentioned rail, the base flange of the said second mentioned rail extending beyond the web thereof to provide a seat for the projecting web of the first mentioned rail, the end of the base of the said second mentioned rail being beveled to co-engage with the beveled end of the base flange of the first mentioned rail, and means passing through the projecting head of the first mentioned rail and entering the flange of the second mentioned rail and through the projecting base of the second mentioned rail and entering the projecting flange of the first mentioned rail for connecting the rail ends.

4;. In a rail joint, two rails having their ends provided with overlapping and contacting portions, means for connecting the rail ends, said means including a member passing downwardly through the head of one of the rails and entering the web of the other rail, and a member passing upwardly through the base of the other rail and entering the web of the first mentioned rail.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CONRAD G. STEINHAUER.

Witnesses:

M. F. BERGER, Gno. W. OHMns.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. i 

